Continuous Rainfall Triggers Landslides, Blocks Major Highways

Continuous rainfall since Thursday morning has triggered landslides in several parts of the country, obstructing major highways and affecting travel and transport especially in central and eastern Nepal.

According to the Nepal Police Headquarters, landslides have blocked the Sankhuwasabha section of the Koshi Highway, the Tamor Corridor in Panchthar, the Siddhicharan Highway in Okhaldhunga, the BP Highway at Namobuddha in Kavrepalanchok, and the Pasang Lhamu Highway and the Nepal-China border crossing in Rasuwa. The Mid-Hill Highway has also been obstructed in Sindhuli district.

Police spokesperson Binod Ghimire told RSS that vehicular movement has resumed partially on the Jomsom–Korala section, the Beni–Darbang road in Myagdi, and the Sandhikharka–Gorusinge road in Arghakhanchi.

Meanwhile, the Meteorological Forecasting Division has forecast that the rainfall will continue in most parts of the country until Saturday morning under the influence of Cyclone Montha.

Bibhuti Pokharel, spokesperson for the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, said intermittent rainfall is likely in Karnali and Sudurpaschim provinces, with moderate rain expected in other provinces. The weather is expected to gradually improve from Saturday morning.

Pokharel added that rainfall will occur in the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding areas on Friday, though it will not be continuous across all locations. There is also a possibility of heavy snowfall in high hills and mountainous regions of Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki, and Karnali provinces during this period.

According to the Division, Cyclone Montha, which developed in the Bay of Bengal, made landfall in Andhra Pradesh, India, on the night of October 28. The system then weakened as it moved north and northwest, approaching central Nepal as a low-pressure area before shifting eastward.

The Division stated that this weather system will continue to affect Bagmati, Madhes, and Koshi provinces until November 1, bringing moderate rainfall to most parts of Madhes and Koshi and some areas of Bagmati. It also warned of heavy rainfall in one or two places in these provinces and urged people to take necessary precautions against possible floods and landslides. – With inputs from RSS